Carrot, Tomato, and Spinach Quinoa Pilaf

"I remember my aunt telling me about quinoa, saying it was such a wonderfully healthy food and what do you know? It's kosher for Passover! I decided to beef up my quinoa with some fresh vegetables, cooked until they are just tender without becoming mushy. As a side dish this serves 4-5, but I've been known to eat half of it as a meal on its own."

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat; cook and stir the onion in the hot oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat, stir in quinoa, and toast, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Stir in the water, bouillon granules, black pepper, and thyme; raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in the carrots. Cover and simmer until all water is absorbed, about 10 more minutes. Turn off the heat, add the tomatoes and spinach, and stir until the spinach is wilted and the tomatoes have given off their moisture, about 2 minutes.

Most Helpful Positive Review

Aug 17, 2009

This was tasty and flavorful. I used the vegetable bouillon cubes instead of the granules. I used 2 cubes. Next time I will probably use vegetable broth. I added more carrots, onion and spinach just because I like those ingredients. It's not heavy and perfect for a light lunch or dinner. I will make this again.

Most Helpful Critical Review

Aug 24, 2010

Overall I think this is a decent recipe, just think I would enjoy it better with some changes. I added a couple cloves of garlic, crushed, into the oil before adding the onion. I think next time I will do as some fellow reviews have suggested and use canned fire roasted tomatoes & chicken stock. Probably cut back the pepper and thyme by a teaspoon each, maybe even replace the thyme with basil (or use fresh thyme). Also, I think I'll add the carrots when I put in the onions, so they will be a lot softer. Thank you for the recipe! :)

Wonderful recipe! I used 2 cups of the "Chicken Broth in a Slow Cooker" recipe from here instead of the bullion and water. I also used canned diced tomatos instead of fresh (it's all I had) and used Red quinoa. This dish had a wonderful flavor that wasn't overpowering. Very light dish. I will definately make again. The only think I will say is that it took way longer than 10 minutes for the liquid to absorp. Maybe closer to 30 mintues.

I loved this dish. I had some quinoa sitting in my pantry and needed to do something with it. This was perfect. I didn't have any bouillon cubes so substituted half of the water with beef broth. I also omitted the carrot since I didn't have any and added more spinach and some salt at the end. Overall, quick, easy, delicious dish that I will definitely make again.

LOVE IT! Definitely something I will make over and over. I didn't have any chicken buillon so I used a cilantro and a garlic cube I had and it tasted wonderful. A good recipe to play with the flavors for variety in a favorite dish :)

Good recipe. Other's make you cook the Quinoa in water first and it comes out bland. This way it makes it very flavourfull. I also tried it changing thyme with lemmon pepper and other spices to change it up a bit and it works just the same. Very good!

TRY THIS RECIPE. I'm totally serious. I had a bag of red quinoa in my cabinet and decided to use it for this recipe. I used chard instead of spinach and a red bell pepper instead of carrots. It was pretty much a chop everything up and throw it in a pan type of recipe. It tastes delicious and turned out beautifully, the kind of side you'd serve to make an impression. Next time I make it I'll probably cut the pepper in half, for personal preference, but otherwise feel it's a great recipe and will definitely make it again.

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.